Doctoral Training Programme in Functional Advanced Materials (DOC-FAM)

Doctoral Training Programme in Functional Advanced Materials (DOC-FAM)

DocFam+ (DOCtoral training programme in Functional Advanced Materials: Towards a Better Future) is a new doctoral programme for the recruitment of 26 excellent doctoral researchers led by the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC).

DocFam+ is a unique interdisciplinary and intersectorial research programme. We offer excellent salaries and international experience through secondments. The complete training programme includes annual workshops, a career development retreat and industry days, among others.

More information: https://docfam.icmab.es/

As ICN2, we are looking for a Predoctoral researcher.

Job Title: PhD student in Mussel-inspired thin films for neuronal regeneration (Daniel Ruiz Molina)

The Nanosfun group has recently filed a patent on catechol-based thin-films with outstanding regenerative properties, which can be applied as a ready-to-use patch directly to the damaged tissue to be repaired. So far, we have successfully tested and validated our approach in different tissues, mainly in cartilage and skin. For this call, we have designed a novel and ambitious but feasible project aimed to promote neuronal stimulation and regeneration to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Precisely, the objective is to generate catechol-based thin-films that support and guide neuronal growth and characterize this biomaterial to elucidate optimal biochemical, thermal, biocompatibility and structural properties. In addition to the fabrication of the membranes, the candidate will also explore their functionalization with active molecules and test the biocompatibility through in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Those films with optimized properties will be finally tested in vivo in murine models. Induced pluripotent stem cell therapy, using the catechol biomaterial as a supportive matrix, will also be used to bridge neural gaps being the outcomes evaluated to ultimately assist the development of catechol matrix strategies in clinical applications.

We collaborate closely with the Institut de Neurociències (INc-UAB), with strong expertise in the nervous and neuronal system. At the hospital level, we collaborate with the University of Medicine of Vienna, Sant Joan de Deu, Vall d'Hebron and Bellvitge hospitals. This growing network environment allows for almost covering all the necessary needs to validate the developed technologies, pursuing their clinical translation. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of this PhD project, ranging from chemical synthesis, characterization of new materials to their final application in medicine, the candidate will acquire excellent knowledge and skills that will complete his/her research formation, incentivizing his/her future career.

Education

• Bachelor and Master in biochemistry, materials science, chemistry, or equivalent.

Experience

• Previous hands-on in biological investigation of materials with biological matter (proteins, cells, tissues).
• Experience in culturing mammalian cells.

Competences required:

• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to demonstrate scientific writing and communication skills.
• Ability to be creative in research ideas to develop/progress the research area.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to work independently, use own initiative, where appropriate, and be proactive in approach to work.

Desirable:

• Experience in chemical synthesis and modification of organic materials.
• Experience in use of an array of physicochemical and materials characterization tools (DLS, spectrophotometry, electron, optical and fluorescence microscopy, HPLC).

More information: https://docfam.icmab.es/